1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to baby bottles. More particularly, the present invention relates to vented baby bottles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Baby bottles having flexible nipples are commonly used to feed infants and children milk, formula, juices and other fluids. During use, however, as the baby sucks on the nipple and withdraws the fluid, a partial vacuum is formed within the bottle. This vacuum can make feeding more difficult, by requiring the baby to suck with much greater force, which can discourage the baby and cause it to stop feeding sooner than desired. Moreover, the vacuum can cause the nipple to collapse.
To address this problem, baby bottles have been developed with nipples that provide for venting. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,568 to Morifuji et al., an air vent is disposed along the nipple flange. The vent allows for the intake of air into the bottle through a portion of the nipple to alleviate the pressure differential or vacuum in the bottle. However, this bottle suffers from the drawback of venting during feeding whereby the air mixes with the liquid that is in proximity to the nipple, is ingested by the infant, and causes greater risk of gas and spitting up.
Bottle nipples allow mothers to bottle-feed their babies as a temporary or permanent alternative to breast-feeding. Babies become accustomed to the shape and function of a woman's breast during breast-feeding. Due to the significant differences in the shape and function between a woman's breast and conventional baby bottle nipples, babies experience difficulty when switching between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding. This can cause a baby to fail to take formula from a baby bottle nipple. Likewise, babies can grow accustomed to the shape and function of a particular conventional baby bottle nipple, creating difficulty for the baby to return to breast-feeding. This can cause a baby to fail to take milk from a woman's breast because of a developed preference for the shape, texture and function of the baby bottle nipple.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,732 to Sheehy, a nipple that claims to have a “natural form” is disclosed. The nipple has an annular rim, a lower segment, an intermediate segment, an upper segment and a tip. The annular rim is used as a securing structure and is adjacent to, and integrally formed with, the lower segment having a large curved outer surface. The lower segment is adjacent to, and integrally formed with, the intermediate segment that has a smaller curved outer surface and is smaller than the lower segment. The intermediate segment is adjacent to, and integrally formed with, the upper segment that has a smaller curved outer surface than the intermediate segment. The upper segment is adjacent to, and integrally formed with, the tip. The disclosed nipple suffers from the drawback of having three segments or areas that do not simulate the shape and function of a woman's breast. Moreover, such nipples suffer from the drawback of collapsing.
Accordingly, there is a need for a baby bottle and/or a nipple that reduces or eliminates these drawbacks. There is a further need for a baby bottle that provides proper venting to alleviate the vacuum in the bottle while reducing or eliminating nipple collapse.